(TITC) – On 22nd September, in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam Agriculture Newspaper (Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development) – Standing Unit of Agricultural Product Connection Forum 970 in collaboration with Center for Rural Development – Saemaul Undong, University of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi Minh City National University, organised the Forum “Developing agricultural and rural tourism associated with consumption of agricultural specialties and OCOP products”. The forum was held in hybrid form. Mr. Tran Thanh Nam, Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development attended and chaired the event.
The main
point of the forum is at the School of Social Sciences and Humanities, Ho Chi
Minh City National University
Ms. Ngo Thi Thu Trang – Deputy
Director of the Center for Rural Development – Saemaul Undong, University of
Social Sciences and Humanities, National University of Ho Chi Minh City, said
in the early stages, the National Programme One Commune One Product – OCOP has
achieved basic achievements, in terms of number of products, scale and
consensus of participation in localities, yet, currently, connection is needed
to promote product consumption.
However, the connection between
product consumption must have meaning and value in each OCOP product as true to
the meaning of the programme, which is the soul of the countryside, the unique
value of each locality, “one village one product”. If those values
are expressed through cuisine, through gifts, and through local agricultural
products introduced to tourists, the dual goal will be achieved, both
developing tourism and helping to consume agricultural products better. When
rural tourism develops, there will be more jobs for young people, more space
for them to develop creative ideas, or can take advantage of the peaceful
village scenery, diverse cultural features, and rich agricultural products to
promote the development of agricultural tourism.
According to Ms. Phan Yen Ly –
Director of Canh Cam Consulting, Communications and Events Company, this type
of agricultural and rural tourism in Vietnam is developing but currently is not
going in the right direction and is unsustainable. Therefore, it is necessary
to propagate and change subjects’ way of thinking, who are involved in building
and implementing agricultural and rural tourism activities to serve tourists,
what must be done to help farmers, cooperatives, and farms want to do tourism
even when agricultural, forestry and fishery products are consumed well, when
the agricultural economy is successful and travel businesses join hands and
accompany rural destinations in tourism.
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